Are you coming in Taiwan in the near future? Are you going to bring your camera, smartphone, or other recording equipment? If the answer to both question is YES, read on. There is a big contest going on, and there’s a chance that (a big chunk of) your travel expenses will be covered as reward for your efforts, and that you will win grand prize of even greater value!

This August, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau announced, that it is cooperating with online search-engine giant Google in the running of a global Taiwan promotion campaign on YouTube. The campaign is entitled “Anytime for Taiwan – Film Taiwan, Action!” and asks for the participation of you, the traveler. All you need to do is film your travel experience in this wonderful land and upload your video to the dedicated channel set up by the Tourism Bureau on Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/taiwanbesttrip). If you submission is well received, you may well be the recipient of a cash award to cover part of your travel expenses, and in addiction have a chance at the grand prize. Sound good?

Here is what you have to do in order to participate:

Register online and agree to the Terms and Conditions of the event.

Buy a return airplane ticket to Taiwan.

Visit Taiwan and film your Taiwan travel experience.

Create a video and upload it to your personal YouTube channel.

Submit your video to thw Tourism Bureau’s YouTube channel.

After this, if you get the number of votes needed, you will receive prize money.

Beyond the above, there are certain important things to note. Participants need to be holder of a foreign passport. You need to present a return economy-class airplane ticket to Taiwan. The maximum amount you can receive in prize money cannot exceed the price of your airplane ticket. Videos must be shot in 2014 or 2015 and must be submit up to three videos. You will received a cash prize only if more than 1,000 people vote for your video on the YouTube channel of the Tourism Bureau within 30 days of submission (Like on your private channel don’t count). Cash prizes will be given out until the total amount of prize money allotted for this event (NT$2 million) has been used up (so don’t wait too long before sending in your videos).

You will no doubt be confident that your video will be among the best, so note that the grand prize will be given for one of the entries receiving the most votes. The top 10 vote-getters from among submitted video will advance to a final round, from which the Tourism Bureau will choose the winner of a round-the-world plane ticket!

On the event’s YouTube channel you can see the following categories for video – Time for Love, Time for Marvel, Time for Two wheels, Time for shop, Time to Eat, Time for natural – giving you an idea of what type of videos the Tourism Bureau hopes to receive. There have already been submissions, so you might want to check out what other travelers/ videographers have created before you go out and craft your own work of art.
In the Time for Love category, you might add a video showing you and your loved one(s) traveling in Taiwan. There are numerous locations around Taiwan suitable for filming romantic scenes, for example a marvelous sunset in Tamsui or Alishan during the cherry-blossom season. Any video that showcases places and things in Taiwan that makes your eyes sparkle fit in the Time to Marvel category, be it the impressive Taipei 101 skyscraper or the breathtaking Taroko Gorge. Time for Two Wheels is for videos in which you explore Taiwan on a bicycle (or a motor scooter). You could film yourself riding a public-rental YouBike around Taipei City or, if you are a serious biker, you attempt at circling the island or challenging yourself on a climb up to Wuling, the highest point of any highway in mountainous Taiwan. In other categories you can focus on other aspects that make visiting Taiwan worthwhile, shopping till you drop, sampling the best of Taiwan’s culinary riches, or going on eco-tours to experience the wonderful Taiwan world of birds and butterflies.

You don’t have to be a professional videographer to take part, and you don’t have to buy expensive equipment to shoot and edit great videos. The idea is not to be perfect, but to share your favorite experiences of traveling in Taiwan with others. So feel free to use your smartphone if you don’t have an expensive camera or other nifty dedicated equipment. The point is to always remember – HAVE FUN!